According To ConBot Supporters, PMSH Is "Just Playing" With Us Vis-a-Vis Prorogue

Hahaha... He "screwed around" with us guys... Boy did he ever... He messed with us soooo much he actually went through with something that even the NeoCon minions didn't think he would. Ha. Ha. Ha. Jokes on us - All Canadians. This "government" is a joke. What to expect from a party that doesn't believe in government. They always thought MPs in Ottawa were just "feeding at the trough" and doing nothing else. When they got there, they decided that they would "make it so", and have done NOTHING but waste tax-payers money, create a massive new debt, and scorn, deride, and begin to tear apart the institution of Parliament with their searing contempt of it...

Running from accusations of possible war crimes. Running from gross mis-management. Now they're attacking the civil service. Their end days are near...

VICTORY FUND

Racism In The Conservative Party...?

Who are these guys trying to fool?

Your favorite "mouthpiece" and "friend/advisor/confidant" of the Grand Leader, spouts off hatefully xenophobic attack speech according to recent twitter comments, and the Conservatives continue with the "love-in" with said Conservative hero...

This is NOT your great-grandfather's Conservative Party. No "progressive" anywhere in the label - and they removed that ON PURPOSE. It was very clear where they were headed...

VICTORY FUND

Conservatives Endangering Our Troops

Conservative reaction that they (and, in their hopes, the public) don't care about the Afghan prisoner issue is putting our troops in danger. Even IF we "don't care" about them (the Afghans), or that place (Afghanis-nam), we SHOULD care about the welfare of OUR TROOPS who are at greater risk due to the Conservative cover-up. And the government's attitude since is simply inflaming the issue. If I'm an Afghan warlord/Taliban nut-job, I'm going to make sure I put clips of Harper and the Cons' reaction to the matter in their propaganda... It certainly would help recruit more fighters - and make them fight against us much harder. "Support our troops", my ass. The Conservatives only care about covering their own coverup. Harper and his party's words of late have done more to put our troops in harms way than ANY opposition criticism of the government's conduct of the war ever has... The Opposition voices their concern based on concern for the troops and for Canadians working abroad.

Shame on Harper and his minions.

VICTORY FUND

The Liberal Alternative - What We Offer

Ralph Goodale's Weekly email...

Why a Liberal alternative is good for Canada:

A READY ALTERNATIVE WORTH VOTING FOR!

The Official Opposition in our Parliamentary system has a constitutional obligation to be the government’s principal watchdog and critic – asking the toughest questions on every topic, constantly challenging the government’s record.

A Parliamentary democracy is, by definition, adversarial. That’s how accountability is achieved. So, almost every day, the Opposition finds itself taking the negative side of every debate.

But that’s only half the job. The other half is generating constructive ideas to form the policy agenda of an alternative government. As 2009 winds down, Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals have been focusing more and more on this positive side of being the Official Opposition.

For example, from early childhood development through skills training and access to post-secondary education, we’re working on a package of ideas to make Canadians the most educated and competitive people in the world.

On another front, we have proposed legislation to move this country toward pay equity between women and men. Liberals believe it’s wrong for women to be paid 30 to 40 percent less than their male counterparts. We believe fixing this discrimination is a matter of human rights.

For rural Canada, a new Liberal agenda is emerging, including a guarantee of rural postal services. Under the Conservatives since 2006, these services have markedly deteriorated. Liberals would stop the decay by putting a moratorium on the closure of rural post offices.

The Liberal Opposition has also been leading a campaign to safeguard Canadian pensions. The government promised to make this a priority nearly a year ago, but they’ve done nothing so far and seem extremely reluctant to tackle this challenge.

Liberals have advanced proposals for supplementing the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), for salvaging stranded private pensions, and for assigning higher priority to disability benefits in bankruptcy situations.

At least this is a start in the right direction!

VICTORY FUND

Script Kiddies & Pimple-faced Teenie-boppers In The World Of Web Responsibility

Note to political parties: You don't let your teenage kids the leeway to run your website. Yes, we all know we are a party full of youth and youthful direction - but that youth needs guidance (as in any facet of life).

We have a good example of what happens if a party tries too hard to attract youth... When a party with no youth wing desperately tries to curry favor with the youth vote. That example is the train-wreck that is the Harper "war-room".

We don't need to stoop to that level - and we're not desperate to attract youth. We're the youngest party of the two major ones. We have a new core of strategists, and the Don-OLO... We've got Warren dishing out smack talk like Ali in Manila.

Okay. So it WAS silly fun that went too far. It was dealt with, and now it's over. We didn't defend it until the media came to roost (like the Puffin Poop incident which went for days before an apology was given)...

Done deal. Let's carry on.

Oh yeah. One more thing: Now that the incident has occurred, and the offending images removed, I think we'll have a record number of Canadians go to the site and laugh at the other images.

Thanks for the free publicity media!

You can never say "no" to free pub.

VICTORY FUND

Of 6 Yard Ist Downs and Lowering The Goalposts...

Wrote a lot of this in response to a great post by KNB about Harper's dismantling of Canada...

The "Harper Deception" is slowly beginning to choke the workings of the nation. His party has lowered the goalposts of government performance and responsibility.

Our nation has been duped into settling for a complete lack of vision in Ottawa, but frighteningly, have also been lulled to sleep while "the Hill burns". Harper and his Reform-a-Tory hacks are laying waste to Canada's government mechanism, bureaucracy, and Parliamentary system.

Harper was smart enough to (after several attempts) connect with the right snake-oil salespeople (ie: PR folks)... Working the doorsteps and C-Trains in Calgary, I recall the comments: "Oh, he's such a good looking man... Blonde hair, and those blue eyes..." Seriously. People think "old lizard-eyes" is good looking. I guess it's all the power behind the suit... Anyways...

The "perceived genius" surrounding the Harper team is slowly getting whittled away. His flaws are pretty apparent. He should have had a massive (1993-like) majority last election. Instead, Canadians REJECTED him BECAUSE OF his Conservatism, and NeoCon ideas.

Remember, Harper was the 2-time loser going into the "Sponsorship Election", and then he barely squeaked out a win DESPITE HIS IDEOLOGY. Ignatieff hasn't even lost an election yet, and he has looked positively brilliant at times (and... "not so" at others). Still, Harper should be a lot more polished by now... Ignatieff is a new leader.

Minority or not, Harper is in his second term right now. Even in "real years", his party has passed the 4 year mark, roughly, and is into the years which would typically represent a second full term in a majority. People will get tired of his games - and they are. Public enquiries into scandals are coming. He was dying for a majority, JUST so he could escape the wraith of the enquiries, but it won't be that easy. The free media are waking up. Even old Con stalwarts have some questions and concerns.

We should worry about our Parliamentary democracy being diluted and dissolved. True, we can change some things back, if the Cons push them through, but it's the gradual dismantling of the institutions and traditions of government that concern me. Used to be there were certain protocols in Parliament, and in government. What the Reform-a-Tories have done is break the rules first, then, if not caught, keep breaking them. Otherwise, lie, fabricate, and tell the public/media, "we have a different interpretation of the rules".

Imagine a football game where 10 yards give you a first down. In Steve Harper's world, it's 6 yards, and he's going to tell you so. If the ref complains, Harp will fire the ref. If the reporter in the press box tries to report the truth, Harp's friends who own the paper will simply "edit" the report, change the title to one less damaging (or completely "friendly"), or sub the report with a "national editorial".

Time to get back to real football, and end the "personally foul" government of Harper.

VICTORY FUND

Afghan Prisoner Scandal Doesn't Matter To Canadians...

BS.

Harper/Reform-a-Tory apologists want to wrap themselves in the flag, and lie about how the rest of us "don't support the troops". Their current line of retort is that "Canadians Don't Care" about the scandal and coverup.

Really?

Well, as usual, they're WRONG on that account.

What the Harper Conservative non-chalant attitude on torture has done, is succeeded in painting a much bigger target on our troops (whom we ALL love dearly), and our civilian citizenry around the world - and in Canada.

Harperites have helped create a more dangerous situation for our troops. Fewer civilian Afghans will trust our men and women in uniform - especially if they were family members of the many who were wrongly imprisoned - and tortured. Many more will be tempted to join the other side. Further, the enemy - the Taliban - will fight harder, knowing they may end up imprisoned and tortured if captured. All this is bad news for our troops, and begins the rest of the World down the path of questioning the professional stature of our great armed forces... and leadership. In many developing countries, the professional armed forces of Canada and the UK are a beacon of established excellence the World tries to immitate. In many of those nations civilian unrest and chaos has been quetted by the professional militaries built in the Commonwealth tradition.

Harper and his clown troop DO NOT support the troops - they simply HIDE BEHIND THEM, and USE THEM for their own political (perceived) gain.

But it's not just the troops who suffer. Our brave men and women of the RCMP, and many other civilian agencies, toil day and night making life better for the Afghan people (and people in other parts of the world). Their lives suddenly got more difficult for the same reasons as above. They will also have a less trustful populace to work with. This becomes more true the longer our government continues the suspected cover-up (as reported by many media outlets).

Canada's image has been tarnished on the international level. Most Conservatives couldn't care less (the same case as with Kyoto, etc., etc., etc.). They will distance themselves from the World, telling Canadians they're more "concerned" about Canadians... Of course they forget how interconnected and close we are with the rest of the World in these modern times. And they want Canadians to forget...

Meanwhile, the rest of us are also in increased danger. We travel a lot, and suddenly, "nice friendly Canada" has become viewed a little differently by the rest of the World. In the 70s and 80s, and into the 90s, even as part of NATO we were viewed as "pseudo-neutral", and "honest brokers" of World discussion and engagement. In a few short years the Harper Government has squandered much of that international good-will and trust. We are scorned and ridiculed in international forums (particularly those where the Harper government is involved). It will take many years, and a new government to put back what the Harper Reform-a-Tories have torn asunder in a few minority years...

Sure, the scandal doesn't matter to Canadians Mr. Harper.

Not yet.

VICTORY FUND

Defence Minister Must Resign

Peter MacKay MUST resign for the allegations and pursuant "cover-up" perpetrated by this Harper Government over the Afghan POW scandal.

Further investigation MUST go forward, to determine who knew how much in the PMO - since we know EVERYTHING is scoured by "El Capitano" Harper, Megalomaniac In Chief...

This is all necessary due to this scathing reversal of testimony by our Chief of Defense staff. It is apparent that even our Defense Department got tired of covering up Conservative lies.

Next step please. Bring on the public enquiry. Start determining who violated Geneva Conventions, and bring them to justice to spare Canada's international reputation - one that has been increasingly tarnished since Harper's ascendance to the PMO.

VICTORY FUND

Devastating Assessment Of Harper Government's Fiscal Ineptitude

Inept.

One word that would quite succinctly describe the Harper Reform-a-Torys' brutally juvenile and ideologically bent rape of the Canadian economy.

Now, the Reformatory attack dogs will be slack-jaw-"edly" placing their childish comments to this blog... straight outta that big CCHQ (Constant Campaign HQ) in Ottawa. We, quite frankly, don't care. A blunt assessment of Canada's current economic "unstable ground" is warranted, and much, much needed.

Ralph Goodale - of the multi-billion dollar contingency fund/rainy day fund Liberal budgets - has a very good assessment on this situation. He speaks as an expert who has navigated the troubled waters of recessions, and knows how to operated when it's smooth sailing. This is in stark contrast to the "best" Conservative option: a former neoCon provincial FinMin who devastated the last economy he tried to manage in Ontario.

Here's Ralph's assessment of the current devastation in Ottawa's Finances:

MR. HARPER’S VICTIMS BEGIN ACCUMMULATING

Two years ago, I predicted harsh consequences would flow from Stephen Harper’s ideological style of government. Sadly, the bad news is coming true.

The Conservatives turned a $13 billion annual surplus into a $56 billion deficit. They inherited (from Liberals) $100 billion of financial flexibility over five years. But they used that all up in less than three years.

Federal debt has surpassed $500 billion. And Canadians are faced with the prospect of five more years of red ink, sinking another $170 billion in the hole.

Here’s another telling point. Who’s the ONLY Leader to increase the tax burden on Canadians since 1997? Answer: Stephen Harper!

First he hiked your personal income taxes. Then he dinged the Income Trusts in your retirement plan with a brutal 31.5% Conservative tax. Next, he has announced a job-killing $13 billion payroll tax on every employer and employee in Canada.

This is Mr. Harper’s legacy – deficits, debt and higher taxes. All totally predictable! And remember, all this trouble began BEFORE there was any recession to blame!

But there are other shoes to fall.

Mr. Harper is about to slash federal programs and services, claiming they’re no longer “affordable” because of the deficit the Conservatives themselves created.

Who will be their victims? When they first came to office, they slashed support for volunteerism, women’s programs, child care, literacy services, students, low-income legal services, etc.

Since then, they’ve also chopped cost-of-production guarantees for farmers, money for rural roads, and the PFRA.

Most recently, the Harper Conservatives cut 90% of the funding for democratic observers to monitor the January presidential elections in Ukraine. And they’ve killed the entire budget for KAIROS, an organization of the Catholic, United, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Mennonite and Quaker churches, working on human rights.

These are bad choices for Canada.

VICTORY FUND